Father of three Michael Mellon from Cardenden is an established member of Disability Sport Fife and within only a few years he has made an immense impression. It does not seem all that long since Michael competed in his first DSF Track and Field Championships at Pitreavie and Scottish Championships at Grangemouth. He has established himself as the leading ambulant physically disabled thrower in the country.
Michael will once again be part of a strong Fife squad of physically disabled athletes that will compete in the Scottish Disability Sport National Senior Championships in September at Grangemouth Stadium. Michael is now very competent in all three throws.
At school Michael was a very keen rugby player and javelin thrower and he excelled in both. Michael’s father was in the Royal Air Force and he joined up in 1997. He sustained a tibia and fibula injury playing rugby and attended Headley Court Rehabilitation hospital for a short period. In 2005 Michael was medically discharged and whilst on sick leave met his wife and they married in 2004. Because of all the leg pain he was experiencing Michael decided to progress with an amputation.
In 2014 Michael signed up with Dundee Dragons and become involved in the Dragons wheelchair rugby league team. Michael loves the camaraderie of the club and the sport and values the friendships he has made over the years. Michael is always thrilled when he is selected for Team Scotland and has the opportunity to play in the Four Nations Tournament.
Michael has been selected for the 2018 Invictus Games that will be held in Sydney, Australia in October. Such is the talent of the man that he has been selected to represent Team UK in sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis. Michael has had to miss out on his beloved athletics because of the intense schedule of the team sports.
Due to participation in multiple events Michael will be away almost every weekend from June until the start of October for different training camps. For the 2018 Games some of the camps are held during the week. For Michael each camp tends to be a 7 hour day of training in a wheelchair or on court for sitting volleyball. In addition there are competitions against teams around the UK. The sitting vollyball team for example played against the GB women’s team and the GB men’s development squad. The wheelchair basketball team played against the Scotland under 23 team at Inverclyde in Largs. The wheelchair rugby team have played games against many excellent teams but the real test will come one week before Team UK fly out to Australia when they play the best team in GB. By then the Invictus team should have fully bonded and will be ready for the international challenges that lie ahead.
Michel indicated that selection was pretty tough this year because the UK team will comprise of only 72 athletes. As the Games grow in popularity more wounded injured or sick serving personnel and veterans apply. This year there were more applications than ever for the UK squad. Invictus squad trials were held in April at Bath University and the squad was announced on 15 May. The team announcement was made at Horse Guards Parade in central London in the presence of the Prime Minister and many representatives from the national media.
Disability Sport Fife is once again fiercely proud of Michael and all that he has achieved to date as an Invictus competitor. Last Games were massively successful for him and he is preparing well for competitions in four team games. An incredible undertaking but he is a very special athlete.
On the down side Michael misses being with his wife and children as much as he would like to be. They are however his greatest fans and have supported him since day one of his Invictus Games career. Michael values immensely the quality time spent with like minded personnel who have been through much of what he has as an ex serviceman. Training is challenging but there is time in the evenings to socialise and recharge the batteries.
Well done Michael we are all so proud of you.
Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife